Second placed Russian carrier VimpelCom  took its Beeline brand to the kingdom of Cambodia on Monday, where it launched mobile services through its subsidiary Sotelco.

VimpelCom acquired a 90 per cent stake in Atlas, the parent company of Cambodian firm Sotelco, which holds a GSM 900/1800 licence, in July 2008. The remaining ten per cent of Atlas will stay with a local partner, a Cambodian entrepreneur, for the time being.

During the first stage of the project, Beeline services will be available in the 11 largest provinces of Cambodia, covering 37 per cent of the country’s population. By the end of 2009, the company plans to provide coverage to territories that are home to more than two thirds of the country’s population.

“The commercial launch in Cambodia is the first launch by a Russian mobile operator under its own brand outside of Russia and the CIS. The Cambodian launch is an important stage in VimpelCom’s international development”, – said Vladimir Riabokon, executive vice president of VimpelCom.

Read our recent interview with newly installed VimpelCom CEO Boris Nemsic